America has its new Bachelorette: the 38-year-old Clare Crawley. The announcement was made Monday on ABC‘s Good Morning America. Fans first met her on Season 18 in 2014, when she vied for Juan Pablos Galavis. She was one of two finalists, but she rejected him, telling him she’s “lost respect” for him.
She returned to Bachelor in Paradise Season 1 and 2, and got engaged to Benoit Beausejour-Savard after an appearance on The Bachelor Winter Games. The engagement was nixed soon after.
Crawley said she’d found out on Saturday that she’d be the next Bachelorette and was as shocked as some on social media appear to be. She said: “I literally just found out. So unexpected, can you believe this? Six years later? What is happening?”
And she addressed her age head-on, admitting that she was much older than recent Bachelorettes, many of whom were in their mid-20s.
Crawley said: “I feel like a lot of people put it out there as this negative thing. For me, it’s just more years under my belt. More years learning and knowing what I want and what I won’t settle for.”
Much of Bachelor Nation was here for it. Wrote one: “Clare as The Bachelorette coming in to absolute OBLITERATE these 22 year old Instagram influencers. What a legendary move.”
But some called for more diversity: “Me and the 5 other people on the planet who were still holding out hope that they might pick a Bachelorette that was not a blonde haired white woman.”
Others just wanted a fresh face, writing: “The new #bachelorette is a thirty-eight year old who has been on the various shows four times? Really?”